Call for Mail Art: Weird (existing) Animals!
Platypus, Tapir, Okapi, Echidna, Mole, Axolotl are some of my favourite animals. They have in common that they exist irl and that they are uncommon.
Which animal do you think odd?
Send your image of an unusual (existing, no fantasy) animal.
All media are welcomed, preferable postcard size (10x15 cms), maximum A4 (20x30 cms).
No jury, no fee, no return.
All weird existing animals will be published in this ongoing virtual exhibition.

woensdag 30 maart 2016

As you can see, Richard Baudet is famous for his wonderful calligraphy.

I was very happy to receive two returns to my 'what or whom is she staring at?' card, which both had this word 'Postcard' in awesome callighraphy on the back side. He is a great collage maker and designer, too!

On one of the front sides Richard had added this animal.
I don't know if you know the 2007 story of Bokito? Somehow this picture reminds me of that. However I think this lady a bit more wise: always keep your mouth closed when the Silverback is nearby, as the monkey might interprete showing your teeth as a sign of agression.

zondag 20 maart 2016

This wonderful Goldfish, designed by Ti Ar Raden, was sent on a special day: 29th of February, also known as Leap Day ('Schrikkeldag' in Dutch). You can see this special date on the postmark, thanks to Ti Ar who went to the post office especially for this!

I am posting this Goldfish on an other special day. Today is the very first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere: the sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day. This astronomical vernal or northward equinox marks the beginning of spring in our northern hemisphere.
For the ones who wonder what a Goldfish has to do with this: in exact the same time (this year on 20th of March, 4.30 am UTC or 5.30 am European time) Now Ruz starts, the Persian New Year!
Part of the celebrations is keeping or buying a goldfish (see for instance the Iranian movie 'The White Balloon'). The bowl of water with goldfish (Pisces) represents life within life.

Both in front and on the back Ti Ar added great clock stamps. Which makes the circle round: clocks also were exchanged by Ti Ar, me and a few more mail art colleagues: to celebrate New Year's Eve on 31th of December, so for the European New Year!

zondag 6 maart 2016

Eva drew great beetles and other useful tiny creatures and thus made this a wonderful envelope.

Inside a postcard from the 'There's nuffin like a Puffin' book illustration postcards serie. The Water Flea and his friend Water Mite show up on the cover of a book issued in 1964, named 'Pond life'. The illustration was made by Paxton Chadwick.

'He keeps on smiling' was the first thing that came in mind when I received Remy, trapped in a real mouse/rat trap!
The second thought which came into mind was 'wow, how good this piece - and how did all mail traveling with it - survive(d) the postal roads?!'.

The good news is that this mouse trap cannot hurt mice and rat anymore, as this will become part of my archieves (until the mice and rats will start to eat my mail art archieve).

Many thanks to Dean, Artist in Seine, who often challenges the Postal systems. And who is a bar code artist, too. See this detail on the back:

And just now I see the French stamp has playing people on it:

The message on the back is a chocolate-related one. Always good, as I love (milk) chocolate:

Truely hope Dean won't set a human trap, as I think it obvious who ate the chocolate. Not Remy, as he loves haute cuisine! (Heleen wiping off traces of chocolate from her face)

Over mij

Click on the profile link below to see my three ongoing mail art projects:
Real Weird Animals,
Your Doctor in Mail Art, and
Our Solitudes.
Would you like to join? Mail me at heleen21artmail at yahoo dot com or see in the oldest messages for the snail mail address to send your work to. Thank you very much in advance!